Triptych 369
by lovesrainscent
Summary: A story about the most under appreciated ninja in the manga – Baki. After all, he himself seems to have held Sand together more than once, was the only jounin capable of being sensei to Gaara and even negotiated peace after the failed invasion.
1. Beginnings

**Title:** Triptych: 369

**Author: ** Lovesrainscent

**Rating: T**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and stand to make no profit from posting this story.

**Summary:** The Naruto universe as seen from one of the most under appreciated characters in the manga – Baki. After all, he seems to have single-handedly held Sand together on more than one occassion, apparently was the only jounin capable of being sensei to Gaara after the death of Yashamura and clearly negotiated a peace between Suna and Konoha after the failed Sand/Sound invasion.

Thanks to top for suggesting flash fiction. This is written in 369 format – 3 linked subchapters of 69 words compose each chapter in the story.

**Tiny Footprints**

He followed the tiny footprints.

At last he found her, trying to shield Kankuro's smaller body with her own.

He saw how rigid she was, unable to speak or move.

Kankuro was crying simply from the pandemonium of the night.

But Temari understood.

And the image that would be forever etched into Baki's mind was of tiny footprints where she'd fled barefoot through puddles of her own mother's blood.

**Puppet On A String**

It bothered him how much time Kankuro spent in that … _workshop._

He understood the boy's natural affinity for certain tools and puppets and jutsus.

But still he forced him to master skills with kunai and senbon, despite much bitching on Kankuro's part.

Good thing his father didn't give a rat's ass about the boy.

Grumble though the boy would, in this case it was Baki who pulled the strings.**  
**

**Chain of Command**

Yashamura was dead.

Now Gaara was entrusted to his keeping.

But Baki would do more than that.

He would try to make some semblance of a ninja out of the boy.

He owed Karura that much at least for her sacrifice.

The first thing to do would be to teach discipline, chain of command.

Good thing he started early.

At least then it only cost him one eye.


	2. Ties That Bind

**Blood Is Thicker**

He took the fan, he took the puppets and forced them to leave the village without them.

It was a training exercise he told them.

He led them into the desert.

Before he left them to weather the sandstorm that was coming on their own he cut a slit in the palms of the older two children with his kunai.

His theory was Shukaku would protect its own blood.

**By Dawn's Early Light**

Daybreak.

Sunlight reached above the horizon.

Baki held his breath as he slip-stepped down the dune to where he'd left them.

If he was wrong…

If they were dead…

If Karura's children were dead he swore he would join them by his own hand.

The dune in front of him began to dissolve – of course the sand protected Gaara.

He exhaled in relief.

The sand had covered all three.

**Family Ties**

It had been six years since the night Karura died.

In those six years he had earned Temari's trust.

He had earned a somewhat grudging admiration from Kankuro.

And for the moment, at least, it appeared he had earned a stay of execution from Gaara.

Baki looked at the three homicidal siblings sitting obediently in front of him.

He never had a family when he was growing up.

Maybe this was his now.


	3. School Days

**School of Hard Knocks**

Gaara didn't attend school in the traditional sense.

Mainly this was because the teachers were absolutely terrified of him.

He spent almost all his time with Baki.

Sometimes Baki wondered who was actually training who.

Of course, he had to teach Gaara techniques, jutsus, skills and discipline.

But Gaara's unpredictability kept Baki on his toes.

The jounin found that constantly having his life on the line was quite exhilarating.

**School Daze**

At age nine, Kankuro announced he would no longer attend school.

Baki laughed, cuffing the boy's ears before sending him off to class.

He was furious at first when he received the teacher's note stating the boy was sleeping in class.

Then he caught Kankuro sending a puppet in his place the next day.

Baki laughed and relented.

With instructors that dumb the boy was better off with him.

**Team Player**

Temari was a model student, graduating at age eleven.

Baki's next task was the hardest he had to do.

He denied her a team with her classmates.

Any jounin sensei would have been proud to have her.

But Baki knew he had to keep the siblings together for Gaara's sake.

He tried to explain it to her.

She said she understood.

But he knew she hated him for it.

And that hurt.


	4. Growing Pains

**Menarche**

_"Baki!"_

_"Baki!"_ Whispered voice frantic, her hands are shaking his shoulder, rousing him.

"Temari? S'matter?" he yawns, sitting up in bed wondering why she's in his room.

"Baki…I'm…I'm bleeding…"

"Did you get hurt? What happened?"

Blond tresses brush against his shoulder as she shakes her head furiously. "No. I'm bleeding like… _she_ did…"

And Baki realizes there is a tremendous gulf in the kunoichi's education that he has overlooked.

**Power**

She's fourteen, the best wind mistress Suna has ever seen with absolutely no idea what power she holds over the young shinobi that are sniffing around now like a pack of dogs.

Her father doesn't notice.

Baki does.

"Dammit, Temari, quit hanging around the barracks."

"Bastard! You can't control my life!"

True.

But he sure as hell can strike fear in the heart of those pups.

Which he does.

**Crushed**

"Baki?"

He wakes. In his room in the moonlight her voice isn't frantic, but it's... hesitant.

She's fifteen. In her nightgown. Simple. Cotton. Sheer.

"Baki… I know… sometimes… senseis teach their students…"

His voice is uncharacteristically soft, "No."

Later he goes to his favorite bar and gets drunk on cheap liquor and buys a cheap whore, one with raven hair who smells of perfume, not sun and wind and desert.


	5. Boys Will Be Boys

**Compromising Position**

Kankuro was late again!

Baki was tired of having the team wait for the sluggard.

He swept down the hall entering the teen's room unannounced.

_Whoops!_

If ever there was a compromising position, that one was classic.

The boy must've turned six shades of red beneath that purple face paint.

Well, at least _that_ was something he could relate to.

"We're waiting downstairs," he said closing the door behind him.

**A Helping Hand**

Baki observed Kankuro carefully.

Lately the boy had been walking funny, gingerly, as if something were bothering him, almost as if he were…_chafed._

He chuckled and shook his head and sighed.

He made a purchase on Kankuro's behalf on his way home that night.

"Here," he said, tossing a tube of _Ninjaglide_ into Kankuro's room.

He couldn't resist adding, "Make sure you've got all the sand off your hands."

**Sage Advice**

One night he heard muffled cries from Kankuro's room.

Curious more than alarmed he still thought he should check it out.

Yet another compromising position but this time there was a young kunoichi involved too.

"Sorry," he apologized more to her than to his student.

Later, rather than lecturing Kankuro he simply said, "Boy, just make sure you treat her the way you'd want somebody to treat your own sister."


	6. Folie A Deux

**Kazekage**

The Kazekage was insane.

Bad enough that he and the council forced the creation of a jinchuuriki in Suna years ago.

At least then there had been a feeling of necessity since other villages were in the process of creating them.

The alliance, although suboptimal for Suna, held for a number of years.

And the Kazekage was planning on violating a flag of truce at the upcoming chuunin exams?  
**  
Two "Kages"**

The Kazekage wasn't the only mad conspirator.

Baki met the leader of the Sound.

A chill passed through his body. As the old women would say, _'someone walked over his grave.'_

The man wasn't … evil, he was beyond that, defied that.

Evil implied a purpose, an immorality, a decision not to comply with society.

This man was…amoral, no recognition of objective right or wrong at all.

Just unbridled desire.

**Heart of Darkness**

The man was seductive, that much was certain.

Cool androgyny and grace, he exuded power.

It was disturbing to see how easily shinobi fell under his spell.

He promised a return to glory, providing assurances that they could not fail.

If they would give him their allegiance then he would give them their hearts' desires.

An old soldier, Baki purposed in his heart to serve Suna. And only Suna.


	7. Menage A Trois

**Three of a Kind**

Kankuro and his puppets.

Temari and her fan.

Gaara and his hate.

_This_ was the full complement of the Sand force he was to have in Konoha for their joint invasion with Sound?

Strategically, it was madness.

Unless…one additional goal was to use the invasion as an opportunity for Kazekage-_sama_ to rid the world of his troublesome offspring.

Karura's children collateral damage?

Baki could not let that happen.  
**  
A Pair of Jacks and a Jill**

Kankuro annoyed Temari because she was his sister but God help anyone else who hurt her.

Temari wished both her brothers would fall off the face of the earth and die, although she can't help but fuss and cluck over them.

Gaara said he hated them both.

He didn't say Temari's voice was the only one he remembered singing a lullaby and Kankuro's puppet shows almost made him smile.  
**  
Full House**

Kunai.

Shuriken.

Senbon.

Poison.

Wind and sand at their command.

Puppets within puppets.

Jutsu upon jutsu.

Skill after skill.

Pack them together into three hormonally-charged, emotionally-warped _teenagers_ and send them off on a trip across the desert together.

_Brilliant _idea!

If they survived the trip Baki almost felt pity for their upcoming exam opponents.

The only true threat they faced was from each other.

Unless_ he_ killed them first.


	8. Enemies and Allies

**Yakushi  
**  
Kabuto Yakushi.

The Sound Kage's right hand man.

Maybe he was and maybe he wasn't.

Ubiquitous and nauseatingly obsequious when his Kage was around  
yet Baki sensed Kabuto playing both ends against the middle.

But what, exactly, were the two ends?

Much about Kabuto didn't add up.

If he was such a skilled healer, why didn't he correct his own vision?

Was he hiding his true self behind those glasses?

**Hayate**

Gekko Hayate

An admirable ninja, demonstrating keen watchfulness and swift intervention when he halted that match between the two Hyuuga.

And_ Dance of the Crescent Moon_? Impressive.

It was unfortunate that the young man was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Baki didn't relish killing Hayate, but he wouldn't let a scorpion like Kabuto touch such a ninja.

Another time, another place, they could have been friends.

**Shiranui  
**

Genma Shiranui

They had faced off once before.

Baki remembered him from his own chuunin exams, both of them genin competing for the rank.

He was soft-spoken, not at all boisterous, the complete antithesis of the Sound trash sent into this battle.

_Still water runs deep, _Baki mused.

The man didn't say much but when he did it was worth saying.

The new exam proctor, Baki watched him closely.


	9. To Hell In A Handbasket

**Strategy?**

Baki had a bad feeling about this.

Their only goal_ to restore Suna's influence in the shinobi world._

Whatever the hell that meant.

The Sound Kage's speeches appealed to all the young turks spoiling for a war

While Baki's warnings fell on deaf ears.

So here he sat with his students inside Konoha, depending on a coalition force led by Sound.

No military goal.

No exit strategy.

Shit they were screwed.  
**  
Battle**

Baki was rigid in his seat.

The Uchiha kid was unbelievable.

Gaara was out of control, his wail otherworldly, both pitiful and hideous.

Temari was slack-jawed, Kankuro gripped the railing in front of him.

The unthinkable had happened.

Gaara was wounded.

Both siblings cleared the railing, standing instantly by their brother's side.

A chill ran down Baki's spine as he realized how close they were to the monster inside.

**Retreat**

It had all just gone to hell.

'Abort the mission!'

That's what he said.

But if they could have read his thoughts it would have sounded like this…

_Get the hell out of here! Get out now! Take Gaara some place safe, safe for you, for him. Safe FROM him. I'll hold them off as long as I can. I'll do everything in my power to protect you! _


	10. Aftermath

**Rout**

They were undone.

Konoha's infrastructure may have been in shambles but Sand's force, what remained, was decimated.

Sound, of course, had cut and run.

Many of Suna's younger shinobi had fled also, fear and panic leading to a route rather than an attempt at an orderly fallback.

As he saw the backs of Suna's ninja fleeing the scene he realized just how rotten things had become under the fourth Kazekage.

**Reason**

Their rendezvous point lay ahead.

He passed a sight that gave him pause, a Leaf shinobi tending a boy who must be his son.

Baki recognized signs of Kankuro's poisons.

Watching the pair, Baki realized what still pissed him off the most was how Kazekage abandoned his children.

_They should have had a father in their lives! _

He didn't recognize the relieved looks on their faces when he arrived.

**Rest**

His heart stopped for a moment when he saw Gaara prone, his body shielded by Temari and Kankuro.

He feared the worst, that Gaara had…died.

He couldn't tear his eyes away, couldn't process the words that Temari was saying, then_ shouting_ as she shook him by the shoulder gently at first then _escalating_ to finally get it through to him.

_Baki, he's sleeping. Sleeping! It's okay, he's only sleeping!_


	11. Cleanup

**Decay **

He was at the site but had forbidden the three to come.

The bodies had been there more than a month.

It was a disgusting scene, the Kazekage, several higher-level advisors, ninja who should have known better.

The bodies would be useful as evidence though, when they sued for peace with Konoha.

At least they would serve as proof it was Konoha's own scion who led the invasion.

In the uproar he almost overlooked the miracle that occurred in their midst.  
_  
_**Delight**

_Gaara.  
_  
Sleeping. Talking. _ Engaged with_ his siblings.

Gaara approached him; shocked Baki realized he intended to…apologize for past indiscretions.

Like the loss of his eye.

Baki said it was over and done with. Never any need to apologize before, why should there be now?

Baki wasn't used to the new Gaara yet.

But he was grateful.  
**  
Decisions**

_You're leaving? _

_Back to Konoha?_

_Why?_

It was difficult to explain to the three so he didn't.

He was going, they were staying that was an order.

Suna couldn't just send Konoha a _letter._

Some things needed to be handled face to face.

Konoha would have questions.

Baki would provide answers.

There were a few good men left in Suna whom he trusted until he got back.

_If _he got back.


	12. Interrogation

**Setup**

Three Konoha shinobi were in the room with him.

Ibiki Moreno, Konoha's interrogator, the man he expected to face,

A Yamanka clan member named Inoichi whose purpose here was obvious,

And an old spider of a woman, wisps of grey hair drawn up in a bun, skin thin with age, Koharu Utatane.

He wasn't quite sure why she was here.

Which clearly meant hers was the most important voice.

**Standard**

It was a standard, uncomfortable setup – sparse furnishings, Moreno seated between Baki and the door.

Yamanaka stood watching.

Utatane sat nearest the door.

Moreno poured water from a pitcher, ice clinking into the sole glass on the table.

Taking a long drink, "Would you like something?"

"Yes."

"Inoichi, see if we have… _juice."_

Baki smiled.

Subtlety done.

Someone had been to Suna.

Someone had done their protocol homework.

**Enhanced**

_I just need to know you're telling the truth **now…**_

Exhausted, Baki couldn't count the times he'd answered Ibiki's same questions.

Abruptly, "Enough," the first word Koharu uttered.

"Yes, ma'am," Ibiki's tone deferential.

Was that_ it?_

They were _finished?_

"There_ is_ just one more thing," she added.

"We require assurances this won't happen again. A single hostage should do, one of the three."

Steely eyes met his, "You decide."


	13. Baki's Choice

**Gaara?**

_Not_ Gaara.

Suna would never allow their jinchuuriki to fall into the hands of Konoha.

Besides Gaara was almost like a... newborn now.

Fresh and new and full of limitless possibility.

Baki couldn't take his gaze off him.

Rather than a monster inside the boy there had been a boy inside the monster all along.

And now he was free.

Free to sleep. And laugh. And live.

Not Gaara.

**Kankuro?**

_Not_ Kankuro.

Even though he was the most annoying, loud-mouthed, insufferable, know-it-all, brat

And even though Baki's voice was hoarse from the times he'd yelled_ "What were you thinking!" _

Still, Kankuro was brilliant, he was reliable, honorable and a worthy heir to Suna's puppetmaster techniques.

He was what Sand shinobi _used_ to be.

Besides, Kankuro was the closest thing he had to a brother.

Or a son.

Not Kankuro.

**Temari?**

_Not_ Temari.

To not have her footsteps light down the hall?

Her laughter like a spring in the desert?

No.

_He_ had been assigned to look after her.

Karura had chosen_ him._

The day she was born Karura dismissed her ladies and called _him,_ a scrawny fifteen year old to her saying, _You're the best among my guards, you'll be her personal guardian won't you, Baki? _

No.

Not Temari.


	14. Decision and Understanding

**A Decision**

He had been left alone in the room with only his own thoughts for hours. Finally the three returned.

"You've decided?"

"I have."

"Which?"

"I...it should be..." he whispered the name.

"Interesting. Why?"

Throat tight, he stated his entire reasoning process.

"Fine, but... we'll take the girl," Koharu said, turning to leave the room again, Inoichi following her.

Baki realized it had never been his decision at all.

**An Understanding**

"I need certain assurances."

"You're in no position to dictate terms."

"True. A request then."

"Go on."

"Alliances are formalities, between nations and on paper only. I fear there are those in Konoha who individually might seek revenge on Suna by an attempt on her life."

"We will assign an escort."

"Yet I also recognize that she is hostage..."

"Publicly we will use the term liason..."

"Semantics. Should the alliance be broken we both know her life is forfeit."

"But there's no reason to think it would be, now is there?"

"I would just like to know that, no matter how remote the possibility, should circumstances dictate you would assign someone...efficient."

"So I need to find someone who will protect her life with his own yet end it swiftly if ordered to?"

"Yes."

"An interesting challenge. Agreed."

_**A/N: ** For those of you who are counting, I know this doesn't follow the exact format, but the conversation just could **not** be broken into two parts. The total word count is consistent however, at 207 or 3x69 words. _

_**An Understanding ** is written as untagged dialogue which I was introduced to by PSITeleport in "Arranged" and which JanLee uses most effectively in "Dessert."_

_And for what it's worth, this was my original intended stopping point. However, I have decided to continuing trying to provide a Baki-eye view of the Naruto-verse. There is after all the whole Gaara retrieval arc.  
_


	15. Allies of the Leaf

**Considerations**

Temari defeated.

Kankuro denied.

Baki muses silently as he walks through uncleared rubble in the streets of the Leaf village, his two ANBU tails not far behind.

At least there was now an agreement in place. Shaky, but in place.

Konoha and Suna were now _allies._

He still remains in Konoha along with his genin. There was much to consider before returning to Suna.

Namely, how to do so?

**Companions**

He sees the two of them walking down the street.

The blond is beautiful, beyond all compare.

So_ this_ is their new Hokage.

She lives up to everything that's been written about her, truly deserving the title_ legendary._

But it's the brunette that his gaze follows most closely.

His ears catch her reference to the blond as_ m'lady._

With that one word he understands the relationship between the two clearly.

**Cooperation**

Ibiki tries to deny the problem.

A blasted water tower testifies otherwise.

Baki knows who will accept his offer.

Tsunade hasn't been in the village in years.

The best she's got to lead this mission is a newly minted chuunin?

The last thing she needs is to fail in her first mission.

And Baki needs an unqualified success.

He goes to see Shizune.

_A/N: Okay, so I'm picking up with this one again. The post-failed-Sand/Sound invasion still fascinates me. I'll probably continue this on up to the conclusion of the 'rescue Gaara' arc because I think that's Baki's last appearance in canon. But if I have overlooked or do overlook any scenes he's in please point them out to me. _

_Please read and review. :-)_


	16. Politics of Assistance

**Obtaining An Appointment**

He chooses his words carefully, hinting at rumors around the village.

There are those who think the new Hokage is not capable, who think she already had one chance to remove the threat posed by Orochimaru and failed.

Internal dissension is on the rise in Konoha, like Suna.

But the words he knows will be most effective in obtaining an appointment with Tsunade are, "Your mistress must not fail."

**Offering Assistance**

"Konoha thanks you for your offer, Master Baki, but we have the situation under control."

"With the lone chuunin and four genin you have to spare?"

Golden eyes spark with a hint of anger. "And you would provide us with what, three more genin?"

"Two should have advanced by now. I've held them back to... help with the third."

"Ah, yes, Suna's jinchuuriki. But until recently, wasn't Sound your ally? Why should we trust you now?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, m'lady, but wasn't Orochimaru once your teammate?"

Delicate fingers clinch the sake saucer and the anger flashes in her eyes again but before she can speak Baki does.

"I believe we have both been betrayed by the same man, Lady Hokage. And in my country we have a saying, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

_**A/N:** I apologize, once again it's not exactly three sub-chapters but still 207 words._


	17. Suna's Team

**Gaara**

"What is the mission then?"

Gaara asks the question.

"_Your_ mission is to provide aid and assistance to Konoha. _Their_ mission is to return this Uchiha brat. Keep the distinction in mind. You're going to make sure they get back alive. Whether or not they bring Uchiha back is up to them. And whether or not Uchiha lives or dies after going to Orochimaru is up to Konoha, too."

**Kankuro**

Baki thinks he'll never get used to the puppets.

Karasu was bad enough. But this new one...

Kankuro is a master of deception, distraction, sleight of hand.

He has outdone himself with Kuroari.

The puppet is filled with hidden mechanisms and weapons.

But the truly deceptive thing about Kankuro, Baki has come to realize, is that he is no longer quite sure what all the boy is capable of.

**Temari**

He watches Temari inspect her fan before folding it preparing for travel.

Her attacks are far more straight forward, overwhelming force he can appreciate.

There's a certain purity in her using the wind for her weapon to both attack and deflect.

He has no doubt she'll use that wind to pick the flesh from her opponent's bones if necessary.

He just wonders if she should _enjoy_ it so much.


	18. Ghosts

**Footsteps**

His soft footsteps on the cobblestones are the only sounds he hears on the empty village street tonight.

Baki knows he has two ANBU following him this evening the same as every other evening before.

His steps could be as silent as theirs but why bother?

One of his followers is new, however.

A momentary glimpse of the pointed ears on an unfamiliar ANBU cat mask tipped him off.

**Ghosts**

Streetlights cast eerie shadows in the rising fog that flit and flicker like ghosts.

Baki supposes that Konoha, like Suna, must have its share of ghosts.

He can tell precisely when the second ANBU departs and wonders if the cat-ANBU had used a handsign or if it had all been prearranged.

His thumb slides over the loop of the kunai at his belt.

It's time to meet a ghost.

**Shinobi**

The cat-ANBU is fast but he's ready.

Her kunai presses at his throat while his own is at her chest.

"Tell me how he died," she hisses.

"Like a shinobi. Would you dishonor that?" he answers.

Then Baki adds. "I don't want to kill you but I will."

"I _want _to kill you," she snarls, "but I _won't_."

Tossing her kunai away in disgust she vanishes into the night.

_A/N: For Afalstein who suggested I write something about Baki and Yugao. _


	19. Forming New Bonds

**At The Medical Center**

The hallway is narrow, the light harsh and the atmosphere sterile.

Baki searches ahead for the faces of his genin.

He's received a message to meet them at Konoha's medical center.

He is...concerned, but not overly anxious about their status.

Still he is surprised to find the reason they are there has more to do with the well-being of their Leaf counterparts than with their own health.

Interesting.

**In The Hallway**

He encounters Kankuro first.

Coarse and callow though the boy has always been, he's also been loyal to a fault.

He's not surprised to find him standing outside the door of the Inuzuka he assisted.

Gaara is a different matter altogether.

Never would he have expected to see him waiting, checking on the status of the boy he relieved.

Yet here he is, just as faithful as his brother.

**On The Edge Of Seventeen**

Eighteen.

She's almost eighteen.

The same age he was...

When she and Kankuro came into his keeping.

He remembers soft blond curls...

And look at her now.

His eyes trace up her legs, following the curve of her calf to a skirt that's much too short.

He hears the words she's speaking to the black-haired boy.

And Baki realizes Temari is all grown up in more ways than one.


	20. Machiavelli

**Planning**

This was going to be a particularly complex plan to execute.

He knew who remained in Suna that he could trust.

And who he could not.

Then there were those who could be bought with a price, never fully trusted but at least they wouldn't openly oppose him.

He had funds of his own as well as control of the siblings' accounts.

And of course there was Temari's dowry.

**Participation**

He needed four individuals to take care of three groups of people.

The four: Temari, Kankuro, Gaara, Ibiki.

The three groups: those who could be trusted, who could be bought or who must be killed.

The first group could handle the second, Baki's confidants could arrange necessary bribes.

Ibiki was needed to release Temari from her tenure briefly.

She and her brothers would take care of the third group.

**Execution**

Timing was everything.

He could not have returned to Suna in the immediate aftermath of the failed invasion.

But delaying too long would allow the further collapse of governance in the village or worse, give the daimyo time to propose his own candidate for Kazekage.

Baki could think of no better way to keep Gaara safe from the misdirected wrath of the village than serving as their new Kazekage.

_The new ruler must determine all the injuries that he will need to inflict. He must inflict them once and for all ~ Nicolai Machiavelli_


	21. Coup d'Etat

**Political**

It was a war like no other.

Neat. Clean. Efficient.

Concluded in one night.

Regime change came while Suna slept.

The bribes required had been minimal.

Most citizens were simply weary of the previous Kage's insanity and had been happy to look the other way.

As for the rest, well, a thousand throats can be slit in one night by a running man.

Or two boys and a girl.

**Personal**

Gaara had taken out the greatest number of threats.

Kankuro's tally was next highest.

Baki noted Temari had assigned herself the smallest number.

The reason behind her choices had not been obvious to him at first.

Then he realized they were ones whom her father had considered 'marriageable.'

When he questioned her she had smiled and told him she would rather it was their blood on the sheets.

**Tea**

The tea was pungent, dark and rich as he dispensed from the samovar into silver rimmed cups.

He added boiling water and served the three himself, passing hardened sugar around.

He had suffered through far too much weak tea in his time in Konoha.

Fragrant steam filled his senses.

He allowed himself a moment just to savor_ home._

After all this time it was good to return to civilization.


	22. Interlude

**Factions**

He supposed there would always be factions.

Some citizens clamored for a new Kazekage right away.

Others would always be distrustful of Gaara no matter what.

Most were undecided.

Baki held off proffering Gaara's name until he'd more of a chance to prove himself.

Letting the undecided make up their minds.

It would be easier when the will of the people was what Baki wanted in the first place.

**Leave-taking**

He watched Temari prepare to leave for Konoha.

It was hard to believe it was time for her to return to their academy as an instructor.

At least, that was the terminology he and Ibiki had agreed upon.

Nearly three years had passed.

Baki thought he would have gotten used to this by now.

It still remained difficult watching her go and wondering if she would make it back.

**Don't Get Too Comfortable**

The stone hallways of the Kazekage building were shaded and cool.

Fountains babbled throughout, accenting the pleasant feeling.

Baki had grown accustomed to the sights and sounds of the administrative hub of Suna.

Gaara had been installed at the Kazekage for some time.

Both brothers had both proven to be able administrators.

Baki looked out at the desert and realized he wasn't sure he was comfortable feeling so comfortable.


	23. Enemy At The Gates

**By Deceit**

He watches the enormous bird circling overhead.

Lazily circling.

Spiraling.

Coiling fear knotting in his gut joins it.

Something isn't right about this.

An enemy with such sheer audacity, hubris.

Intent to draw out but who? What?

All his experience tells him an attack is imminent.

But what is the purpose?

Do they intend to lure Gaara out so they can attack the village?

Troops scurry to muster points.

**My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less**

He watches Gaara with pride.

Then he surveys troops ready for Kankuro's and other commanders' orders.

It would be easy to be lulled into a false sense of security behind Gaara's sand and the village's stone walls.

Some genin are cheering Gaara and Baki curtly reminds them that they are Suna's last line of defense.

They straighten, unsure if it's a rebuke or praise.

Good.

That's what he wanted.

**All Other Ground Is Sinking Sand**

The attack on the village begins with bombs, the explosions are deafening.

Villagers panic and scatter like frightened chickens.

Troops rush to defend the breaches in the city walls, preparing for an invading force.

But it doesn't make sense.

The numbers aren't there.

There should be enemies at the gates.

He looks at the sky in the distance and his heart sinks as Gaara's body sinks toward the sand.


	24. Words

**Calling Out A Name**

Baki picks his way through rubble, men dead and dying around him but he scans for one in particular.

"Kankuro!"

"Kankuro!" he calls again.

There's a disturbance up ahead in the rubble and he sees a familiar face painted purple.

He shakes his head in relief. As often as he's chided the boy about that ridiculous affectation, this time at least he is more than glad to see it.

**Words You Say And Words You Don't**

_Stupid! Insolent! Impudent brat! _Those words that he _wants_ to say when he sees Kankuro ready to dash out don't match the words that he_ does_ say.

"Take a team of men with you and go. You're the fastest man we've got."

_"Just come back alive, Kankuro,"_ Baki whispers as he watches him go. _"Bring Gaara if you can, but just come back alive. I can't lose you both."_

**Words On Paper**

It seems the longest walk in his life. He trudges back to the Kage's office complex passing the wounded, offering what encouragement he can.

The words feel remote, like someone else is speaking them.

There are other words he has to put down on paper.

Brush in hand he inks his message on a scroll, fastening it to the leg of his own hawk.

He has to tell Temari.


	25. What The History Books Don't Tell

**Frantic**

Gaara - _gone._

Kankuro back but_ dying._

Temari's returned but he can't let her stay in Suna. He's got to get her _out_ of the city.

And Kankuro is _dying._

Poisoned.

Dying.

Breath by breath he's dying before his eyes.

Baki swallows his pride and heads down a hall at the end of which is the woman he hates most in the world.

To ask her for her help.

**Memories**

Honored Sibling?

Shriveled up old hag was more appropriate.

Memories yank him back fifteen years earlier to the sights and the smells and the _screams _of that night.

_She _was the one who had butchered Karura.

After she'd washed her hands of the mess she'd left without even the decency to cover the body.

Still he pleads with her.

She muses and mentions Tsunade...

And

then

she

says

_No._

**Assessment**_  
_

Her words strike like a hammer in his ears.

His blood is hot but the kunai in his hand is cold steel pressing against her wrinkled old throat.

The laughter from her is cold, too, and he feels a dozen chakra strings tighten around him, hears her call him a stupid young fool.

"Bitch!" He spits out.

She smiles. "I've been called worse by better men than you, Baki."


	26. The Medical Ninja's Student

**Despair**

The Leaf contingent has arrived he's told.

Opening the door his gaze sweeps around the room recognizing Temari and the Sand medical nin.

Where is Tsunade?

His eyes light on a slip of a girl.

As if from a distance he hears someone introduce her, hears her ask for information about Kankuro's condition.

The sound is faint as if it's slipping farther away, as if _everything's_ slipping farther away.

**Orders**

Words like lead drag his heart down.

A pink-cotton-candy haired girl is telling them what to do.

His hands are heavy but he follows her instructions.

He can tell from Temari's actions that she's as weighted down as he is.

Kankuro writhes beneath them as Sakura begins the process.

"I SAID HOLD HIM!" she barks out her orders.

Its clear to all in the room who's in charge now.

**Relief**

Kankuro's not out of danger yet.

But at least now there's some time.

Time for Sakura to gather ingredients and prepare an antidote.

Time for Temari to sag against the wall and sit on the cold stone floor.

And time for him to suck in air that tastes sweet and to feel weakness in his joints.

Chiyo is at the door

Baki wonders if she is made of stone.


	27. They Also Serve

**Assignment and Accusation**

"You have to go."

"I won't!"

"Temari, I need a leader at the border I can trust."

"You just want me away from here!"

Before he can answer she yells, "You don't know what it's_ like _to lose someone you love!"

His face speaks more than mere words.

In an instant she's in his arms, "I didn't mean it, Baki, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it," she whispers.

**Obstinancy**

"I'm going with, gah...," Kankuro sinks back against the bed.

"Don't be a fool. You need to heal."

"I _am_ going!" He struggles to rise again.

Baki sighs. "Temari won't go and you won't stay."

"_Temari's_ going?" Kankuro tries valiantly.

"To the border. I sent her," Baki clarifies.

"Oh." A pause. "Baki, I don't think I can go," he admits weakly.

A warm hand clasps his shoulder. "It's okay."

**Departures**

Hatake Kakashi''s reputation precedes him.

The Leaf kunoichi has already proven what she can do; he has no doubts about her strength or determination.

Naruto?

Well, the boy's an idiot, but Gaara held him in high regard.

And Chiyo.

The bitch has had a change of heart it seems.

As he watches the party depart, Baki realizes that Gaara's life is in the hands of three strangers and _her._

_**A/N: ** Personally, I like the way this one turned out. The Sand Siblings, they are soooo dysfunctional you just gotta love them. I hope they seriously hand the Fourth Kazekage his ass and soon in upcoming chapters. Too bad he's already dead because I think a little patricide is called for in that family. Oh, well, with my luck, Kishimoto will probably create some sort of family reconciliation scene before the son-of-a-bitch is sealed away. Meh. _

_BTW - The title of this chapter is from a quote by the poet John Milton: "They also serve who only stand and wait."  
_


	28. Musings

**Reverie**

He came to the garden more often now that there wasn't anything else to do but wait.

The gentle sound of the water was refreshing as it entered the bamboo of the shishi odoshi.

He found he could almost relax.

But the heavy 'thunk' of that same bamboo against the rock after it tipped spilling its water forced him out of his reverie.

To startle.

That was its purpose.

**Recovery**

Kankuro was recovering at last.

His face now held some color in it, other than his normal purple paint, that is.

Although grateful, Baki remained ambivalent watching him recuperate.

The healing process was like the water filling the bamboo, pleasant.

But inevitably, Kankuro would be well enough to want to resume his search for his brother.

That, too, would force him back to the reality that Gaara was gone.

**Reprisal**

Some minor nobles had actually praised him for having the foresight to get Temari to the border and out of Suna.

They thought he was protecting her.

Stupid idiots.

These were the self-same ones who had called for an immediate replacement of the Kazekage with no thought or concern for Gaara's welfare.

They should thank him for protecting them _from_ Temari.

Briefly he considered recalling her from her outpost._  
_


	29. Vision

**Eyesight**

Baki scans the distant horizon wishing for the eyesight of Takamaru.

Temari's message has reached Suna - Gaara's _alive!_

But her written words aren't enough, he has to _see_ for himself.

He runs to the front of the crowd outside the village walls and there in the distance he sees them, all three.

He wipes at the corner of one eye.

Damn sun.

Must be making his eyes water.

**Foresight**

He smiles.

The girls are surrounding Gaara and making quite a fuss over him.

Temari fusses and clucks herself about her little brother's health, trying vainly to shoo some away.

Kankuro is congratulatory, but Baki thinks he can detect a tinge of jealous green beneath that purple paint.

Gaara seems about as clueless as most other fifteen year old boys around the girls.

Things are finally back to _normal._

**Hindsight**

Baki oversees installation of Chiyo's memorial stone himself.

Ebizo only _thinks_ it was his idea.

Baki urged until the old man relented, overriding his sister's final wishes.

Baki takes private satisfaction knowing that _her_ last request was disrespected.

He makes certain the inscription includes ALL her accomplishments, including the ones she'd hoped the sands of time would scrub away.

Revenge, after all, is a dish best served very cold.


	30. Brave New World

**Brave New World**

Baki watched the three leaving for that brave new world - the Five Kage Summit.

Gaara had every right to be there.

And Suna's Kazekage couldn't have two more capable advisers than Kankuro and Temari.

Konoha had proven to be a reliable ally. Chiyo had misjudged Leaf shinobi. Temari held them in high regard.

She should know, she spent enough time there.

Baki pondered that, unsure if he liked her on-going assignment to Konoha _and_ her relationship with that Nara boy. Wistfully he realized he had very little say in _that_ matter.

For the first time there was hope that the Five Great Nations could achieve a united front.

All it took was an opponent that threatened their continued existence.

Grudgingly he had to admit that Chiyo had been right about one thing. The previous generations had done a damned fine job of cocking up the world.

And it was up to the next generation to do something about it.

But he also realized you couldn't get to the end of your life like she did and just _hope_ the next generation would step up to it.

You had to do something yourself to make that happen.

Watching the three of them he hoped he'd done enough.

~ The End ~

_**A/N**: Thanks to all who've read along and reviewed as I tried to take a look at the shinobi world from a non-standard point of view. There's just so many points in the manga where he had to be the man who would "stand in the gap," as it were, for both Suna and the Sand Sibs. _

_Chapter title is from "The Tempest" by Shakespeare - "How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, that has such people in it."  
_

_Apologies that this doesn't follow the 3/6/9 format, but as always it is exactly 207 words. I just felt compelled to wrap it up in one fell swoop. Hope you enjoyed!_


End file.
